The World Federation of Investors (WFI), whose active member is also the PanSlovenian Investors’ & Shareholders’ Association (VZMD), has announced news regarding the damages inflicted to investors in Volkswagen. The American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested an executive of Volkswagen and accused him of conspiracy to defraud the U.S., which implies the intensification of the criminal investigation of fraud committed by the car manufacturer in terms of diesel motor emissions. Mr. Oliver Schmidt, who was the compliance manager for Volkswagen in the U.S. from the summer of 2014 to March 2015, was arrested by the investigators in Florida at the beginning of the month.

Immediately after yesterday's meeting of the Executive Board, the European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users (Better Finance) drafted  and sent out an open letter firmly supporting the PanSlovenian Investors` & Shareholders` Association (VZMD) and "Share SUPPORT" in the opposition to the proposal of the amending act to Financial Instruments Act (ZTFI-G), adopted by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia at its session on 5 January and sent for reading to the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia by way of summary procedure. The letter from Better Finance was, in addition to the members of the National Assembly, sent out also to the Slovenian Prime Minister, Mr. Miro Cerar, director of the Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (FISMA), Mr. Ugo Bassi, and Head of the Securities Markets Unit at FISMA, Mr. Tilman Lueder. In this regard, today Better Finance also sent out a public announcement, which was received besides media and business audience and relevant European and financial institutions, also by the members of the European Parliament.  

Brussels was yesterday a venue of the important meeting of the Executive Board of the European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users (Better Finance), which, in the capacity of a member, - besides representatives of investors' and shareholders' associations from Denmark, France, Iceland, Luxembourg, Germany, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom - was also attended by the VZMD President, Mr. Kristjan Verbič. The central part of the agenda was the medium-term strategy, adoption of the budget including determination of additional financing resources, discussion about the personnel reinforcement and future investors conferences and expertise.

The PanSlovenian Investors' & Shareholders' Association (VZMD) President, Mr. Kristjan Verbič, sent the Speaker of the National Assembly, presidents of parliamentary parties and leaders of deputy groups a letter with substantiated warnings and an appeal in view of the Bill on amending Financial Instruments Market Act (ZTFI-G), as adopted by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia at its last session on 5 January and sent for reading to the National Assembly by way of summary procedure today. Furthermore, in its accompanying press release, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia communicated that one of the main goals of the amending act would be "to eliminate identified deficiencies and inconsistencies of the applicable Financial Instruments Market Act".

After disgracing itself for poor supervision of Moja delnica d.d., where a gaping hole broke, after disgracing itself for postponing to publish the price sensitive information about the Panasonic's due diligence of Gorenje d.d. and scandalous approval of the tycoon takeover of Mlinotest d.d., (which is why VZMD initiated legal proceedings against ATVP before the Administrative Court), and after disgracing itself at the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia for espousing higher charges in the financial industry, ATVP managed by Mr. Miloš Čas, has proceeded with its crusade and a merciless campaign against anyone who does not bow to the narrow interests of financial moguls by whom the ATVP is financed.

While preparing for the recent legal actions for damages due to expropriations in Slovenian banks, the problem of expropriated investors was, beside the PanSlovenian Investors' & Shareholders' Association (VZMD) team, also addressed in detail by the European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users (Better Finance). The Better Finance Managing Director, Mr. Guillaume Prache, presented the actual implementation of the bail-in rules in case of Slovenian banks at the Banking Stakeholder Group meeting at the European Banking Authority (EBA) on December 8 in London. He especially made reference to the individual and retail investors, who didn't have any opportunity for damages since the expropriation nor any opportunity for legal remedies against the total expropriation.

The Meeting of European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users (Better Finance) and the 10th International Investors' Conference ended in Wiesbaden on Tuesday night. Over 120 prominent guests and highest representatives of companies and institutions in the field of capital markets and finance attended the presentation on the Volkswagen case as well as the compensation claims of investors against the company and persons responsible. Procedures and different options were presented by renowned lawyers Mrs. Deborah Sturman from the New York law firm Sturman LLC, Mr. Larry Sucharow from the New York law firm Labaton Sucharow LLC, Mr. Anatoli van der Krans from the New York law firm Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP, and Mrs. Daniela A. Bergdolt, Vice-President and lawyer of the German association of shareholders and investors (DSW).

The traditional International Investors' Conference "European Capital Markets Union" took place in Wiesbaden, Germany yesterday. The conference, held every other year by the German association of shareholders and investors (DSW) and European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users (Better Finance), was attended by over 120 prominent guests and the highest representatives of companies and institutions in the field of capital markets and finance.

Yesterday, the annual meeting of the World Federation of Investors (WFI) and a congress of the International Financial Litigation Network (IFLN) began at the Representation of the European Commission in Madrid. The two-day conference is organized also by the Spanish Investor Association (AEMEC), International Law Firms Network (EURO-LATAM LEX), and one of the most influential Spanish law firms, Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo; the European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users (Better Finance) and the World Jurist Association (WJA) also participated in its preparation.

The British-Slovenian Chamber of Commerce organized a business breakfast entitled "Corporate culture change in Companies with FDI" yesterday in Ljubljana to discuss foreign direct investments. Numerous participants attended the panel where the highest representatives of Laško Union, Trimo, Iskraemeco, PwC and Droga Kolinska / Atlantic Group companies shared their experience on corporate culture changes in the light of foreign investments.